Winning and consistency the norm at Eastside

When Eastside coach Harold “Gator” Hoskins returned to coach his alma mater in 2022, the Rams were coming off a three-season span where they won five games combined.

Four seasons, 32 wins and four consecutive playoff appearances later, Hoskins has brought a new consistency to the Eastside program.

In 2025, the Rams finished 9-3 and captured their third district title in four seasons. Eastside defeated South Sumter (Bushnell) in the opening round of the 3A playoffs before their season ended at Bishop Moore (Orlando) in the region semifinal round.

More of the same is expected from Hoskins and Eastside as the 2026 season approaches.

“That class of 2026 came in with us our first year and got us a lot of wins,” Hoskins said. “They did a lot of great things and helped us and laid down the foundation.”

Eastside loses 17 seniors from last season, including quarterback Nelson Tambling, who is at Kentucky.  

The Rams lost their top four receivers to graduation, so top returning receiver, senior Jameer McCarthy, will be counted on as the top target for junior quarterback Andrew “Cade” Sutherland.

McCarthy will play on both sides of the ball and will be joined by two-way players junior CB/WR Malicah Williams and senior athletes Ja’Marian Reeves and Braeden Brockington.

“We’ve been working on being disciplined and being consistent,” Hoskins said. “We want to make sure we are the most disciplined team every time we take the field and stay consistent play after play and down after down and just win the rep.”

Sutherland saw action in three games last year as a sophomore, completing 7-of-16 passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns. With Tambling graduated, the quarterback job is now Sutherland’s.

“I broke my finger at the end of spring, so I was recovering from that,” Sutherland said. “Then I got into some 7-on-7s, and I felt good, and everything felt normal again, and I’m just building and maturing as a quarterback. I started my freshman year and got hurt last year, so just keep on maturing and learning from the lessons I learned from being injured.”

Defensively, the Rams will have to replace graduated linebacker Demarco Daniels, now at Delaware, and Kamayrion Mack, who signed with Southeastern University in Lakeland. Tramayne Montague and Galen Miller also graduated from last season’s defense.

Reaves had 42 tackles and three interceptions in 2025 and Williams had 34 tackles, two sacks and a pick as the leading returners on defense. Brockington played sparingly on defense but rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown on offense. 

“To get better, we will have to limit our turnovers on the offensive side,” Williams said. “On the defensive side, we have to tackle and get people on the ground and make sure we don’t have any missed tackles.

“The goal is always to make it to state. Making the playoffs is good, but we aren’t just trying to make it to the playoffs. We definitely have bigger goals.”

Eastside will once again participate in District 5-3A, which includes Belleview, North Marion (Citra), Dunnellon and Santa Fe. The Rams host Dunnellon and Santa Fe and travel to Belleview and North Marion.

Eastside’s season begins on Aug. 21 with a trip to Fort White. The Rams return home to Citizens Field the following week for their home opener on Aug. 27 against Forest (Ocala). Week 3 brings the first city rivalry game against Buchholz, followed by the district opener at Belleview.

The Eastside-GHS rivalry game has been moved from the final week of the regular season to Week 5 this season, as the Rams and Hurricanes will tangle on Sept.18.

Four of the last five games are at Citizens Field, including three straight against Dunnellon, Bradford (Starke) and Santa Fe. After the final district contest at North Marion, Eastside returns home to finish the regular season against Hernando (Brooksville).

“The schedule this year is pretty similar to last year,” Hoskins said. “We added Santa Fe in our district, Hernando is new and Forest is new along with Fort White. Other than that, it’s about the same.”